Stench of defunct Bandhwari plant makes life tough for villagers

It has been almost three years since the solid waste treatment plant at Bandhwari stopped operations and yet the MCG has failed to do anything about the pollution caused by the plant. Villagers say their complaints regarding the stench and garbage have fallen on deaf ears.

It has been almost three years since the solid waste treatment plant at Bandhwari stopped operations and yet the MCG has failed to do anything about the pollution caused by the plant. Villagers say their complaints regarding the stench and garbage have fallen on deaf ears.

The villagers say the foul odour from heaps of rotting garbage and animal carcasses is making life tough for them. (Abhinav Saha/HT)

The villagers say the foul odour from heaps of rotting garbage and animal carcasses is making life tough for them.

“We have met the deputy commissioner several times but no one is ready to help us out. The groundwater pollution caused by the untreated waste lying in the defunct waste treatment plant is causing skin diseases, diarrhoea and other health issues among villagers,” said Tej Singh, a villager.

More than 800 tonnes of untreated waste is being dumped every day at this plant developed as a joint venture between the municipal corporations of Gurgaon and Faridabad. The dumping is being carried out despite environmentalists warning of groundwater contamination.

The plant was shut in October 2013 following a fire. Since then, the MCG has been claiming that it would restart this plant soon but has not done so. Even now, the civic body is not ready to say when it will become functional again.

Though the authorities are sprinkling chemicals so that the foul smell from the garbage can be masked over, villagers claim that this is but a temporary solution.

“For the last three years, we are living with the unbearable stench. Commuters speed through this stretch of Gurgaon-Faridabad Road. It is not easy to stay in this village, this is more than hell for us. We cannot breathe fresh air or drink clean water,” said Bir Chand, a villager.

The liquid from the heaps of garbage is seeping into the ground due which the water is getting contaminated.

“Water purifiers are not enough to clean the water. We have spent a lot on these machines and have to get them changed several times. We can’t afford to buy mineral water every day,” said Joginder Singh, a villager.

The dumping ground was established after the DLF residents continuously protested demanding the removal of waste from their area in the 2008.

“If the garbage is a health hazard to DLF residents, then won’t it be a hazard to us in the village? The water is contaminated and we are forced to consume it,” said Pappu Kumar, a villager.

“Many projects for the revival of the plant or for alternative sites have been sent to the urban local body department for approval. We are waiting for a decision from it and will take measures accordingly,” said TL Satyaprakash, MCG Commissioner.